If you're Dr. Partha Mukherji's patient, chances are that you're also, at least in a small way, his student.

That's because Dr. Mukherji, a general dentist who practices in Fort Worth, Texas, is an ADA Evidence-Based Dentistry Champion who said he believes teaching patients is a critical part of his day-to-day job.

"It has always been our role to educate patients, and this adds another dimension," said Dr. Mukherji. "It moves the conversation beyond 'well, I'm the dentist and I say so.'"

Others will have the opportunity to join the ranks of Dr. Mukherji's evidence-based dentistry expertise this fall at the ADA EBD Champions Conference, which will precede ADA 2015—America's Dental Meeting.

This year the Champions Conference is Nov. 3-4 in Washington D.C. Registration opened this month.

Here, participants can learn what evidence-based dentistry is and how to apply its principles and tools in clinical decision-making.

Dr. Mukherji attended the Champions Conferences in 2011 and 2012 and also completed the advanced course when it was collaboration between the ADA Center for Evidence-Based Dentistry and the Forsyth Institute in Cambridge, Mass.

While learning about the concept for the first time excited him, Dr. Mukherji said he remembers thinking "what was I going to do once I stepped out the doors?"

Since then, he's done a lot. In addition to talking with patients chairside about how he assesses scientific information, he also aims to respectfully but straightforwardly inform his patients about his treatment plans for them.

"I work to demonstrate respect for the patient's perspective, even as I maintain respect for my own integrity as a dentist. For instance, in the debate of scaling and root planning versus oil pulling, I advise patients that there is more evidence supporting the efficacy of scaling and root planning with chlorhexidine irrigation than oil pulling. I've found that helps to strike a balance between the patient's wishes and my responsibility as a clinician," he said.

Dr. Mukherji said he's also engaged the whole team at his practice to make sure they are all familiar with EBD and how to use tools including online ADA resources, which offer tutorials that can bring newcomers up-to-speed on EBD concepts.

Once in a while, he also chooses a topic to discuss at his monthly staff meeting and asks that everyone do a bit of research on it to discuss together briefly.

"You'll have the staff buy into it," Dr. Mukherji said. "It's exciting to be part of a different kind of delivery of care."

Another objective of the November conference is to recruit dental professionals like Dr. Mukherji to become Champions and disseminate EBD to their colleagues. Champions commit to sharing knowledge and skills gained from the Conference.

This can be as simple as sending a tweet on Twitter or picking up the telephone, Dr. Mukherji said, but it can also involve writing EBD articles, taking advantage of presentation opportunities offered by local dental societies and study clubs and contributing to dental society newsletters.

Engaging with the research has been professionally rewarding for Dr. Mukherji, he said.

"At the end of the day we're really here to give the patients the best in treatment, the best in care," he said. "They deserve to be informed and educated of what's out there. We also need to be in the front line as far as accessing the information that's out there."

For more information on or to register for the 2015 Champions Conference, visit ebd.ada.org.